Doug

I mention prisms because it seems to only show up with a very strong light source (like the flash). When I take pictures with ambient light, I never see it. Also when I just have a quick fill-flash (like the first picture) it doesn't seem as noticeable... I need to get my microscope out of storage and see if the tips look clear and hollow...

Judy: I changed the angle of the flash, as well as the exposure settings, between the first picture and the rest. Doing that really brought out the blueish color on the tips of the feathers. I wonder if they are like prisms?

I took Ellie out again today. Second time on the harness by shyzaboy, on Flickr Even though I've been letting Ellie "taste" the harness and see it around, she still freaked out when I put it on her. When I took her out, I could tell she was a bit distressed - she kept her beak open a bit and "popped" her tongue against her beak. I didn't want it to end as a bad experience, so we just hung out, sitting in the sun, until she calmed down some and then we went walking. (With me chatting comforting stuff the whole time.) She started calming down after about 30 minutes and she would nibble on bits of stuff that I presented to her. Then we walked down the road and through the adjacent development. By the time we got home, she was behaving pretty much normally. She freaked a bit when I took off the harness. Then I put her on her window perch so I could get a grape for her as a reward. She seemed to freeze up somewhat. I guess, since she could see outside, that she was not sure she was safe. I put her back on her cage's playtop and she seems fine. This is a bit stressful for her, but hopefully she'll come to love it like so many birds do...

Right now we have soffits above the cabinets, but we will be completely redecorating our kitchen this summer -- without soffits. I suspect I will need to keep a step stool handy to retrieve Ellie...

I love it. Ellie practices her sounds but only says one thing, "What ya doing?". I love hearing greys chatting away like this. So much to look forward to!

I hope y'all don't mind. I like taking pictures of Ellie (especially since she doesn't seem to mind at all) and it helps me learn more about my camera... Note: you can click on a picture to go that picture's Flickr page where I have some comments/description and different resolutions. Fresh veggie devastation! by shyzaboy, on Flickr A bit bedraggled, post-shower by shyzaboy, on Flickr Trying to tempt her to play with a box by shyzaboy, on Flickr Yes, I made sure the stove was cool first... by shyzaboy, on Flickr

So following recommendations, after dinner (and after her shower), I put the box on the kitchen counter and put some incentive (peanuts) inside. Hesitantly, she crept up to the box, snatched a peanut and took her treat well away from the scary box. After a couple peanuts, she decided to explore the counter (her first time on the kitchen counter - she's normally on her window perch or my shoulder when we're in the kitchen). She did take a couple nibbles on the box top, but she never got too bold. We'll try again... Trying to tempt her to play with a box by shyzaboy, on Flickr

I put an empty box (club crackers...) on the playtop of Ellie's cage. Then I showed it to her. She started her barely audible growl and puffed up her feathers. Even once I put a peanut in the opening, she won't approach it. Her acceptance of new things has gone down dramatically in the past three months (she's almost nine months old). Now I'm starting to see what all other grey owners have been reporting!

As I was scrounging up some lunch, with Ellie on my shoulder, my wife said to Ellie, "Do you think you're special? He won't let ME ride on his shoulder..." Ellie constantly tries to nibble on my nose, ears & lips. I think she really wants to be a baby still. She always wants me to feed her like a baby bird. Of course, I don't...

Where in Virginia do you live?

Wonderful picture! I can easily imagine Ellie doing the very same thing. Maybe I'll do a "tribute" photograph...

That is so cute! I've gotta try that with Ellie...

I just got my lens back from the Canon service center, so here are a few pics! (If you click on the picture, you can see some additional explanation and the higher resolutions...) Checking out the flash... by shyzaboy, on Flickr Chilling in my office by shyzaboy, on Flickr Simple toys can be the most amusing... by shyzaboy, on Flickr

I got a small for Ellie (TAG). I'd guess that a CAG would need a medium.

After that, Ellie screamed when she saw the harness. If I hung it on her favorite toy (a foraging toy with peanuts - oh! Delicious peanuts!) she wouldn't go near it. Even to get peanuts. I've been trying to gradually reintroduce her to it. She's getting a little bit better. Spring is here and it is time to spend the evenings outside. Hopefully with Ellie...

This week Ellie has said her first word/phrase. "What 'cha doin'?"** and sometimes "What 'cha doin', huh?" She mostly does it when she can't see me (I'm in another room)... ** In other words, "What [are] ya [you] doing?" - she's saying how I say it to her, of course. Which means that the poor grammatical structure is on me, not her... FYI: Ellie is almost 8 months old.

When I tell her "no!", she'll stop. But she'll do it again. And again... Gotta be SO vigilant because she also goes after the window trim and the screen (and screen hardware) in the adjacent window. Ah well... (P.S. Judy: looks like I will miss March's meeting as well. I'll be travelling back from Italy...)

A few shots of Ellie hanging out while I made our breakfasts... A grape is always a special treat: Noshin' on her favorite treat! by shyzaboy, on Flickr Having fun with the toy: Climbing and playing... by shyzaboy, on Flickr Attempting to dislodge the entire perch, sending her crashing into the sink in a panic: Nothing is parrot-proof by shyzaboy, on Flickr Each morning, I chop up some fresh veggies for Ellie and prepare my ramen: Breakfast of kings! by shyzaboy, on Flickr

Well, I'm sure you all were laughing at me when I said, "I wanted to make sure that the suction cups were out of her reach." Nothing is out of the reach of a determined parrot... Ellie spent a lot of time climbing on the toys, fighting them sometimes and trying to get to the top other times... Climbing and playing... by shyzaboy, on Flickr Naturally, it wasn't THAT long before she finally made it to the top (and was able to hold on) and then she immediately went for the hooks on the suction cups... Nothing is parrot-proof by shyzaboy, on Flickr I guess it comes down to keeping the suction cups out her reach or having toys to occupy her...

You should look at the pictures posted by dhorje. He sells the Aviator Harness in Malaysia (if I remember correctly)and uses them with a bunch of different birds. Even better, he takes STUNNING pictures, so they are a joy to look at... Here are some of the threads in which he's posted pix of his birds with the Aviator Harness: Evening hike with Cocoa Sep pics of Cocoa B&W Random pics Beautiful evening Cocoa at playground

Have you seen hawks attack birds like robins? (Or other birds closer to the size of African Greys?) I've certainly seen hawks around here, but never seen them attack anything in my yard. (While I was outside, naturally - I wouldn't leave Ellie on a flight line if I wasn't watching.)

Here's their website: http://theparrotuniversity.com/aviator_harness.php THe harness is attached to a elastic cord with a loop on the end that goes around your wrist (or clips on to a retractable leash). The cord isn't too long (about 5.5 feet or 1.7 meters) so the intention is to keep the bird close to you and to have a controlled landing should the bird panic and try to fly off. If you use a retractable leash, you can fly the bird to some extent. They also make a flight line that you can use along with the harness. I'm really hoping that it works out well with Ellie. I'd love to take her outside with me. We live in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern US and there are some amazing hiking trails around here - including the Appalachian Trail, which goes right past my house. (The Appalachian Trail goes along that peak in the background of the first picture.) This is what it looks like from my front door (with the road cropped out, of course) when winter finally leaves: Looking out my front door, Troutville, Virginia by shyzaboy, on Flickr

Since Ellie is a TAG, I bought the small harness (which is, in fact, the right size for her). In the accompanying DVD, it shows that you should put the harness over your hand, put your hand over the bird's head, then slip the harness over the bird's head. Ha! That might work for larger birds, but I can't even fit three fingers in the opening of the harness. Hopefully it will get more graceful before she gives up on me...

Last night I got the Aviator Harness so I could take Ellie outside. She wasn't intimidated by it, and she normally lets me play with her head and wings, so I thought it would be okay to put it on. (Without a lot of exposure sessions...) She was NOT happy about my fumbling with the straps and adjustments, but it went on and she calmed down. She was a bit nervous about being outside. We walked around about ten minutes and I took the pictures. I took the camera back in the house and then we went out again. Ellie in the wild! by shyzaboy, on Flickr Trying out the harness... by shyzaboy, on Flickr We walked around some more and then we waited at the end of the driveway for Dyson to come home. (One of the kids on the bus said, "Look! He's got an EAGLE!" Better than calling her a pigeon like Kelleigh does...) While we were waiting a storm started coming through. The strong winds made Ellie uncomfortable (she was huddled on my shoulder), but I had to wait until the bus got there (or they'd take him back to the school). It was a bit rough taking the harness off, but she is in good spirits. (She's been on my shoulder for the past 60 minutes or so since I took off the harness...) Hopefully the experience, on the average, was more positive than negative. I would really like to take her out every evening in the spring/summer/fall, when I like to read out on the deck...

I wondered what I would look like bald, so I shaved my head. Kel was convinced that I would have an ugly dome, but it wasn't too bad. Never-the-less, she forbade me to do it again! Sigh. The mohawk is relegated to our memories... by shyzaboy, on Flickr